It's urgently important for you to participate in the 2020 census. Under counted areas suffer with a loss of funding for roads, infrastructure, public education and it's citizens feel the impact of the loss of that share of federal dollars already collected in the impact on local taxes needing to be raised to fund those things for it's area. Not only do you not get those funds, business are reluctant to locate in an area with higher local taxes that can result. Our area is beginning to see some job growth return and we need to keep things rolling in that direction.

What can you do? If you are a local business or real estate agent and send out any kind of newsletter, please urge people in your letter to complete their census. If you are willing to put up a flyer in your business let me know and I'll be happy to drop one off for you.

Q: Why does it matter if everyone is counted?

Money is a big reason. How many federal dollars Georgia receives for the next 10 years – for schools, hospitals, roads, human services, and more – is determined by the number of people counted in Georgia on Census Day. This makes direct impact on the central Georgia counties around Lake Sinclair as well.

Fair Representation is another reason. The Census determines how many US Representatives Georgia has over the next 10 years. Any redistricting done is also based on numbers.

A third reason is quality of life. Businesses use data from the census to decide where to build facilities that offer employment opportunities; local governments use data for public safety and emergency preparedness; and developers use the data from each census to help decide where to build new homes or revitalize neighborhoods. It will have a direct impact on any new industries that can bring jobs to our area.

Federal law does not allow the Census Bureau to share private information with anyone. Your answers can only be used to produce statistics/data that is used by others. You don't have to worry about your data. They won't be asking for your social security number or a credit card so nothing to worry about a breach and your identity being stolen.

I'm taking the challenge to encourage others and wish you would do the same by encouraging your friends and family to participate and help our community.

At Lane Realty we're going a step further and offering wifi and a computer during the month of March for anyone who would like to come to our office and get assistance in finding the right place on line or using one of our computers to complete your census questions. Just give us a call to let us know when you'd like to come so we will know if we'll have a computer available for you at that time. 706-485-9668